These honey bacon BBQ chicken lollipops are better than any candy. Bacon, bourbon and barbecue create the perfect flavor trifecta for this chicken lollipop recipe. It’s quickly become one of my favorite appetizers for any game day or tailgate party, cookout, or dinner for the whole family. You’ll find that this recipe is packed with flavor in every bite!
We season these chicken lollipops with some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero Seasoning and then sweeten them with a custom BBQ sauce (or make it simple with my FYR Honey BBQ Sauce), making for a lip-smacking main dish with crisp skin and freakin’ delicious flavors. This recipe is one you don’t want to miss!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops
- Chicken Lollipops Ingredients
- Better Lollipop Prep, Better Results
- How to Make Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops
- The Glaze
- What to Serve with Chicken Lollipops
- Leftovers and Reheating
- More Chicken Lollipops
- FAQs
- This sauce is FYR!
- Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops Recipe
Why You’ll Love Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops
Drumsticks and lollipops. I can’t help but think of a small child going HAM on a drum set or getting a lollipop after a visit to the bank with Mom and Dad. Who says this joy isn’t for adults to partake in as well?! We’ll be the ones playing with our food a bit as we transform these regular chicken drumsticks into an absolute favorite.
Looking for other ideas for a chicken lollipops recipe or another chicken dinner? Check out my Best Chicken Lollipop Recipes, The Best Chicken Leg Recipes and my Best Chicken Wing Recipes.
Chicken Lollipops Ingredients
- Chicken: To make our smoked chicken lollipops recipe, we’ll use chicken drumsticks seasoned with Honey Habanero Seasoning (or your favorite BBQ seasoning). Don’t forget the bacon slices, which we’ll cut in half for easy wrapping.
- BBQ Sauce: To make our custom sauce, grab your favorite barbecue sauce, honey, bourbon, and habanero sauce or your favorite hot sauce.
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Better Lollipop Prep, Better Results
We all love bacon wrapped anything, but properly wrapping our chicken lollipops also calls for aluminum foil. Before placing the honey bacon BBQ chicken lollipops on the smoker, we need to wrap the bone end of the drumsticks in a small piece of foil. This move will prevent charring and discoloration of the bones throughout the cooking process.
I also used a rack made for chicken wings or chicken legs for best results in grilling the lollipops. It’s a stand you can place in the smoker and holds the thinner side of the chicken drumettes while they cook.
I found mine on Amazon, but you can find a variety of different types at any grilling store. They’re pretty cheap and are one of the best ways to help the chicken keep a round lollipop shape while cooking. Definitely not something you have to have to cook this recipe, but something I did use.
How to Make Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops
The Prep
Our first step in this chicken recipe is to use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to make a cut about a third of the way down the drumstick, toward the knuckle side. Slice all around the drumstick. Then, pull off the excess chicken skin and excess meat until the exposed bone is the only thing showing.
Trim off any excess connective tissue, then press the meat down to form your “lollipop” with the meaty part of the drumstick. It might take you a bit to get the first one cleaned, especially if it’s your first time doing this. Don’t worry, you’ll get in the groove and move faster once you get a couple under your belt.
Repeat this step for the rest of the lollipop chicken drumsticks — we’ll use about 10-12 total in this recipe.
Next, cover the chicken drumstick lollipops in your favorite dry BBQ seasoning. I used some of Spiceology’s Honey Habanero Seasoning, since it’s the perfect ratio of spicy and sweet. Then, I wrapped a little bit of bacon around each piece of chicken to create a restaurant-style chicken lollipop.
We’ll use 6-8 slices of bacon, cut in half, to cover all our chicken lollipops. Add a little foil to the top as described in the tip so the bones don’t char and discolor. Just like that, our honey bacon BBQ chicken lollipops are ready for the smoker.
The Grill
Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F indirect heat. Add some wood chunks or chips for more smoky flavor. Then, place your chicken to the smoker (preferably on the smoker rack I mentioned in the tip) with aluminum foil on top of the bone.
Cook the chicken lollipops on medium heat for about 2-2.5 hours until their internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F for tender chicken.
The Glaze
As the chicken finishes cooking, place all ingredients for the BBQ glaze — 1/2 cup of your favorite sauce, 1.5 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon bourbon, and 1 teaspoon habanero sauce — in a small saucepan on the smoker. Warm up the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
Once it’s warm, pull the saucepan off the smoker, stir the mixture, and carefully dip each lollipop into the sauce until it is evenly coated. Let the excess glaze drain off and place the coated chicken back on the smoker rack. Repeat for each of the smoked chicken lollipops.
Let the BBQ glaze caramelize until they reach that perfect golden brown color and the honey bacon BBQ chicken lollipops reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Then, pull the prepared chicken lollipops off and rest on a serving platter for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy every delicious bite of your smoked chicken lollipop!
What to Serve with Chicken Lollipops
With the sweet and tangy flavors in these honey bacon BBQ chicken lollipops, classic BBQ sides are a great fit. Serve these with grilled corn, tangy coleslaw (maybe with a dash of hot sauce and honey in the dressing) or a simple green salad.
Leftovers and Reheating
Allow any leftover chicken to cool to room temperature before refrigerating it. This step helps prevent condensation, which can lead to bacterial growth. Store the chicken lollipops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat and maintain their crispness, use a grill, oven, or even an air fryer.
More Chicken Lollipops
FAQs
Chicken lollipops likely originated in Indian and Chinese cuisines. This dish has since become popular in Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine, often served as a flavorful appetizer with a dipping sauce.
Sure! If you’re not up for grilling (or don’t have a grill), bake these chicken lollipops at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes on a wire rack over a baking sheet. You can also use an air fryer at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, shaking halfway through. Both methods will give you delicious, crispy texture and results.
If you’re not up for a super spicy sauce, you can sub in your favorite mild hot sauce for the habanero sauce in the glaze. Barbecue sauces have a huge range of spice levels, so you can always pick one that suits your tastebuds.
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Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 10-12 Chicken Drumsticks
- 3 tbsp of Honey Habanero Seasoning or your favorite BBQ Seasoning
- 6-8 Slices of Bacon cut in half
BBQ Glaze:
- 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp of Honey
- 1 tbsp of Bourbon
- 1 tsp of Habanero Sauce or any Hot Sauce
Instructions
Prep the drumsticks
- Start by making a cut about ⅓ of the way done the drumstick towards the knuckle side.
- Slice all around the drumstick and pull off the excess meat/skin until the bone is the only thing showing.
- Trim off any excess tendons, then press the meat down to form your “lollipop.” Repeat this step for the rest of the drumsticks.
- Add the seasoning into a bowl and thoroughly coat the meat.
- Once coated, wrap a single slice of bacon around and secure using toothpicks. Set aside until ready to cook.
Smoke the chicken lollipops
- Preheat your smoker for 275F indirect. Add some additional wood chunks or chips for added flavor.
- Add your chicken to the smoker (preferably on a smoker rack) and cook for about 2-2.5 hours until they reach 175F.
- When the chicken is close to being done, add a sauce pan with all the ingredients for the BBQ Glaze.
- Warm up for 1-2 minutes. Once warm, pull the saucepan off, stir the mixture and carefully dip each lollipop into the sauce until it is evenly coated.
- Let the excess sauce drain off and place the chicken back on the smoker rack. Repeat for each lollipop, then let cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve
- When chicken is done, pull off and rest for 2-3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Which habanero sauce do you use?
Pain Is Good Habanero Pepper sauce is what its called
Can u make these in an air fryer?
Sure you can!
I made these, now friends and family go crazy for them!
WHERE CAN I GET THAT RACK FROM?
I got this guy right off amazon!
I’m planning on doing this on my Traeger, which I find doesn’t give me that crispy coating. Should I place on the grill plate on direct fire for a few to get the coating crispier or do you think the rack and Carmelizing is enough?
If it doesn’t get crispy enough, try bumping that Traeger to the sear mode and seeing if that does the trick.
I would like to know more about your recipes because i have loved it.
Can u also bake this chicken lollipop?
Of course!
What can I substitute for bourbon as we don’t have a store nearby to get it or I can just omit it?
I would just omit it!
First use with a new-to-me Traeger. The end result was AMAZING but…. it took FOREVER to cut/remove the knuckle skin & cartilage on just 12 legs. I was using a brand new Wustoff pairing knife! It would take an hour+ to do 50 or more!!!!